Repeating-action for pianos



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE@ FARDINAND FARHOLTZ, OF LO UISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 49,394, dated August 15, 1856.

To all whom t may concern:

' Be it known that I, FARDINAND FARHOLTZ, of Louisville, in the county ot' Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and Improved Repetition-Action forPiano-Fortes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a vertical longitudinal section of this invention when in operation. Fig. 2 shows a similar view of the same when in a state of rest.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

rEhe well-known object of a repetition-movement in piano-forte actions is to arrange the same so that while the key returns the hammer is held up to a certain height near the string, by which means the lever or jack can engage itselfmore quickly under the hammer and reproduce the note in less time and with less labor to the finger than before.

The repetition-movement which constitutes the subject-matter of this present invention consists of an adjustable pad applied by a suitable bracket to a hammer-shank in such relation to the nose or notch in the butt ot' the l hammer and to the lever that by the action of said pad the point of lever is prevented from passing the nose or notch, and when the key is depressed the hammer is sustained at such a height that a small motion of the ngcr causes it to ily up against the string', and the same tone or note can be repeated with great rapidity and little exertion.

The key Ais constructed in the ordinary manner, and it is provided with a lever or jack, B, ot'well-known construction. rilhis lever is hinged to the end of an adjustable bar, which is secured to the key, as clearly shown in the drawings, and its upper end acts on the notch or nose a at the butt b of the hammer-shank c.

D is the hammer, which is connected to the hammer-rail E in the ordinary manner. The check required for hammers of the ordinary construction can be omitted in my improved action.

When the key is depressed the hammer rises, impelled by the action of the lever on the notch a, which is made with two steps or shoulders, and when the short arm ot" said lever strikes the pad d the point ot' the .lever is thrown from the inner shoulder of the notch tothe outer or upper shoulder, as shown in Fig. l ofthe drawings, and the hammer, after it has touched the string, falls back to thc position shown in said tigure until the key is rcleased and allowed to resume its original position, when the hammer drops back to the poA sition shown in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings.

In order to prevent the lever dropping ol' from the second step of the notch a, a pad, c, is arranged at the under side of the hammer. This pad is secured to the front end of a screw, j', which screws into a bracket, g, that is permanently attached to the shank ofthe hammer. By turning' this screw the pad can be adjusted back or forth, so as to allow the lever to fall back more or less, and the position which the hammer assumes when the key is depressed and it (the hammer) drops back from the string` is determined by the position ofthe pad.

The pad can be adjusted so that the slightest motion ot' the key, after it has been de pressed, will again raise the hammer and bring it in contact with the string, and the same note or tone can thus be repeated in quie I succes sion and with verylittle exertion of the iinger.

I do not claim as my invention the application of a repetition-movement to the pianoforte action; neither doIclaim, broadly, an arljustable pad upon a hammer-shank; but

I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The double notches a. upon the hammer butt Z1, in combination with the bracket g, ad justable pad c j', and jack B, all constructed, arranged, and employed in the manner and for the purposes herein specied.

FARDINAND FARHOLTZ.

Witnesses:

I. I. HIRSCHBUHL, J os. (ELEMENTS. 

